Bible verses

I was just reading in the Old Testament and I just wanted to share a little:

18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
20 ¶ Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.

22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

Isaiah 45:18 - 20, 22

When I read this, I had a feeling inside that these things are truly from God. I wish you all could feel what I feel when I read certain passages. There's this feeling of just knowing it's true. I know these words aren't just produced by a man for his own purposes.

Perhaps such words feel so true to me because they fit so completely with my own experiences where God has been there for me.

"We will never get a man into space. This earth is man's sphere and it was never intended that he should get away from it... The moon is a superior planet to the earth and it was never intended that man should go there. You can write it down in your books that this will never happen." - May 14,1961

— Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr.

When I read this, I had a feeling inside that these things are truly from God. I wish you all could feel what I feel when I read certain passages. There's this feeling of just knowing it's true. I know these words aren't just produced by a man for his own purposes.

Quoting scripture as part of a discussion on this board is appropriate. Expressing your faith as part of a discussion is appropriate. Even saying something you know will be controversial, just to gauge our reaction, is appropriate.

What I read above is "preaching". It's appropriate in Sunday School class, or maybe if you're out witnessing. It's not appropriate here. It is guaranteed to cause hard feelings with certain members of the board, most notably? Me. Do it again and you will be both banned from this board and unwelcome in my presence or in my home.

I don't like ultimatums, but take the Battle for God stuff somewhere else, or I'm going to really start to dislike you.

Emil,
The trouble with this on a board such as this is not that discussions about God or faith or religion are not welcome. The trouble is that you rarely post and when you do it is ALWAYS the same deal.

Please, by all means participate it the board. Take appropriate opportunities to inject faith in relevent, topical ways into conversations.

As it is now, it seems like you are simply not capable of more than this sort of drive-by preaching. The apparent inability to participate in any other than this way makes this sort of thing even more annoying.

The trouble with this approach from a strategic point of view is that is doesn't work. Random testimony bearing simply will not gain converts. Yesterday Robert Kirby wrote an interesting commentary on a similar situation.

"If any man takes a wife and goes in to her and then turns against her, and charges her with shameful deeds and publicly defames her, and says, `I took this woman, but when I came near her, I did not find her a virgin,'... If this charge is true, that the girl was not found a virgin, then they shall bring out the girl to the doorway of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death because she has committed an act of folly in Israel by playing the harlot in her father's house; thus you shall purge the evil from among you."

Deuteronomy 22:13-14, 20-21

"If a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to go free as the male slaves do."

Exodus 21:7

And my personal favorite:

"When you go out to battle against your enemies, and the LORD your God delivers them into your hands and you take them away captive, and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire for her and would take her as a wife for yourself, then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and trim her nails. She shall also remove the clothes of her captivity and shall remain in your house, and mourn her father and mother a full month; and after that you may go in to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife."

Deuteronomy 21:10-13

See, isn't it nice that we give beautiful prisoners of war a full month to mourn their parents that we've slaughtered before forcibly raping them?

I've tried to be an apologist for you.. but I want to tell you, as the other somewhat evangelical believer (not in Mormonism) on this board, I cannot do it any longer.

Matt's offense is smaller than mine, I guarantee it. To him (and others) you represent an annoyance, a pushy preacher with little tact. To me, you are representing ME. I am sick of having to defend the other 90% of people who believe in Jesus because of people like you. You make people think all Christ followers are like this, and we're NOT! Lord knows what you've done to galvanize the already shaky image of Mormons to the outside world on this board.

You've just done the main thing people have accused Christians of doing when they say why they don't like religion. You've just Blasted us all with Scripture. Imagine if you'd chosen to get to know us, talk about your worldview, maybe shared your testimony as a faith-apologist, and why God has helped you through real-life stuff. Imagine how someone could have read that and said "Wow, okay, I get why this is so important to Emil, I get why he believes as he does.. maybe its not that bad" - and you would have made their minds a little mor eopen to your point of view. Either way they might not say to someone else "Yeah, you know what those stupids Christians did today"?

If you'd just participated instead of battled, you would have been forthcoming and open, and understood. You would have met people with real world experience. Dude, if you believe in Christ, then you believe GOD himself chose not to blast people with scriptures, but ultimately to become involved.. to be good to people. to be a friend, to do right and then have people go , dude.. I want what that guy has! - and if they don't, then fine.. you've loved your fellow man - the second great commandment.

Instead, now, your testimony is almost useless here because you've chosen Drive By Evangelism.. giving none of yourself, and just being pushy, like everyone expects Christians to be.

So, good luck. I hope you find out what the Truth is and what is isn't. You lost the battle you started. you've done more harm than good if your goal was to get people to open-mindedly consider Mormonism. I know that is hard, because I know you meant the best for everyone. I wish you well. Please be more careful in your next endeavor.

The Bible vs. Harry Potter. It looks like since the last time we visited this classic matchup, that Harry Potter has moved firmly into the lead with 147 million points, vs. The Bible's paltry 52 million. Three Cheers for Harry Potter!

I'm pretty sure Hitler just knew if was true that the Aryans were the superior race, and that the Jewish population was inferior. It just felt right.

Or when Saddam dropped those WMDs on the Kurds back in the 80s, I'm sure he just knew it was the right thing to do.

When God delivered this new land to the European nations, I'm sure God had no problem with the wiping out of the Native Americans. Since they didn't accept Jesus as the one true savior, they wre going to hell anyway. Why not expedite the trip?

Emil, let me tell you something. When I open the door some days, and I see blue skies, spring weather, and the lovely earth, I get a warm feeling inside too. I really feel happy, peaceful, excited, joyous. It's not God welling up inside me. It's not that Jesus has died to save me. It's just human emotion. I laugh when I hear people preach about how they wish I could feel what they feel when they experience "God". I feel it every day, and it has nothing to do with him.

I'm not weighed down wishing my life were better. I know I can make my life better and try every day. I need help, but that's the help of my wife and kids and family. But I know I have it in myself to do it. I don't fret over and over that I need to give my life to Jesus, because I can handle it myself.

If we were contacted by aliens, would we need to try and convert them? Do they get into heaven as well?

And even though you may believe the world is only 6000 years old, remember then next time you take medicine or fly or watch TV or ride ib a car, you're utilizing the SAME TECHNOLOGY than definitively proves the Earth is billions of years old. Are you a hypocrit, or is the Bible wrong?

I thought of you today, Emil, and I am sad because I understand you are trying to do what you think is right.. but you're doing it with more aggression and less compassion.

In life, you have to know people, have to get in their lives, not just to shareyour faith.. not to do battle.. but to be good to them. In Biblical terms, forget the great Commission, and focus more on loving your neighbor. And that takes time, that takes prioritizing understanding over being understood (again, Biblical).

Your desire is to do what you think is right and honorable, I get that.. but its too easy and it won't work.. so choose a new honorable endeavor. Make it your goal to learn about the people around you and to ask what you can do for them that they want done.. be a friend, and maybe they'll listen to what you have to say. Till then, do not preach and do not debate the scriptures with anyone. Just love yyour fellow man, make that your goal. Put those good intentions to work in a positive light. Come back and let us know how it goes.

For my part, your apology is accepted. I meant it when I said I wish you well.

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